- What?! Luck Comes from Hard Work
- By Karla Brandau, CSP
When I complained about my lack
of luck to a friend of mine, she quoted Thomas Jefferson, 3rd
president of the United States, who said, "I'm a great believer
in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it."
It is easy to be scared of real
work. Thomas Edison, American inventor said, "Opportunity
is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and
looks like work."
|
Do you believe success is a matter
of luck? Does opportunity or luck elude you? Do you believe famous
people are just "lucky" because opportunity has found
them?
What about comedian Tim Allen?
During one week in 1994 he had the number one TV show: Home Improvement,
the number one book on the bestseller list, Don't Stand Too Close
to a Naked Man, and a number one film, The Santa Clause. The
following year, he provided the voice of Buzz Lightyear in the
blockbuster movie, Toy Story.
That sounds like a lot of luck
but actually Tim Allen worked hard against enormous odds to achieve
this prominence. Have you heard his story?
He was born in 1953 in Colorado
and was one of six siblings. At the age of 11, his father was
tragically killed by a drunk driver, leaving his life empty and
his soul filled with bitterness about the cruel world he lived
in. He found that humor hid his pain and in the process of being
funny, discovered that he had a gift for entertainment. When
humor was not enough to assuage the loss, he engaged in self-destructive
drinking and drugs. In 1978 he was arrested in the Kalamazoo-Battle
Creek International Airport for selling drugs and subsequently
did 2 years in jail. |
|
When Tim Allen was released from
jail, he put on his overalls and went to work doing standup comedy
and testing his material which later developed into the TV series,
Home Improvement.
When you review all of Tim Allen's
achievements after serving time in prison, I believe Margaret
Thatcher, the first woman prime minister of England, epitomizes
the way Tim Allen should feel. Thatcher said, "I wasn't
lucky. I deserved it."
As you seek for greater levels
of success in your life, remember these "Luck Rules":
1. Listen to unexpected impressions that come to
mind: they can lead to unexpected lucky opportunities!
2. Hard work puts cause and effect into motion.
Once you have experienced the effects and rewards of hard work,
luck willingly climbs aboard.
3. Don't stand immobilized waiting for opportunity.
Instead, turn an everyday occasion into an extraordinary and
lucky one.
4. Prepare, prepare, and prepare for opportunity.
There is nothing more demoralizing than being unprepared when
an amazing, lucky opportunity presents itself.
5. Know exactly what you want and be fully determined
to relentlessly pursue it and luck will find you.
6. When one door closes, don't stand and stare.
Immediately open another one full of luck and opportunity.
7. Give 110%, then luck will kick in.
8. When opportunity knocks, answer immediately and
luck will morph into something you have earned.
Follow these Luck Rules and luck
will rule your life! |
